Crusader
by Kidara
Summary: Three years ago Mikey left. He's made new friends, Has the best armored Vehicle in the AVRA, and yet all he wants is to find his brothers. When they suddenly show up, He finds himself pitted against them in the race of his life.
1. Chapter 1

_Authors Note: This story has been in the making for over a year, One of the reasons for this is that ive been trying to figure out the dynamics of a 15 ton armored vehicle, and just how big it would have to be. Multiple story lines have gone through my head, But this is the one that was wrote down. I think it is my favorite. I think anyways. _

_Disclaimer: Tmnt isnt mine, just borrowing_

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><p><strong>Crusader<strong>

_Michelangelo stared at the huge amounts of foot ninja pouring into the ruined warehouse and pulled his nun chucks out. Glancing to the side he noticed his three brothers doing the same. Pulling in a deep breath, he realized this was his chance, cowardly though it was. As his brothers rushed forward to attack, he slipped backwards. He was almost to the exit when a ninja stepped in front of him. The ninja attacked instantly, his sword sliding past Mikeys nun chucks to bury itself deep in his arm. Letting out a scream of pain, Mikey attacked with his other arm. Quickly getting past the ninja, he continued on his way out. This time making it._

_Once outside he stopped and looked back. Sighing softly, he started back into the building then stopped. His brothers could handle the ninjas without him. If he didn't leave now, he never would. With one last look, he turned his back and left._

Michelangelo sat up quickly, his breathing racing. _Just a dream. Again_. Sighing he slid off his bed and made his way out of the living area of the warehouse and into the garage part of it. Staring at the huge tan vehicle parked there, he took in its details.

So similar to the Battle Shell and yet so different. The huge vehicle was covered in mud, yet he could still see the plate glass windows , the darker brown compartments that contained the vehicles armaments, the gold logo of New Boundaries on the side. He stared at the logo for a long minute. It represented much of what his life had become. The gold circle surrounded the silhouette of a hillside with a tree on it.

"Another nightmare?"

Mikey whirled to see his navigator, Jasmine Shadowmoon standing in the doorway. The black haired, green eyed woman stared at him with understanding. "More like a memory"

She moved to stand beside him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We will find them."

"Its been two years."

"You cant give up."

Mikey glared at her, suddenly angry. "We have searched the city, top to bottom, and even under it. New Boundaries has searched it! We cant even find April or Casey! Angel only knows that they stopped coming to see her two years ago. What are we supposed to go on? Jazz, I cant... I don't... " Mikey stopped talking as tears slowly started falling.

Jazz wrapped her arms around the shaking turtle and hugged. "We WILL find them, i know it." She rocked her friend slowly until the crying slowed to hiccups. "New Boundaries has stepped up its search to include other towns, other areas. They've been following anything that could be a lead."

Mikey wiped at his face, and nodded."I know. But sometimes it just gets to be too much. This is all my fault. If i hadn't walked out on them three years ago..."

He stopped talking as Jazz grabbed him once again and shook him. "If you hadn't walked out, we wouldn't have one of the best vehicles in the AVRA." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "If you hadn't of left, i wouldn't be alive."

Mikeys gaze jerked up to meet hers. "I don't regret that part, you know i don't. But i cant help thinking i cant find them now, because i don't deserve to."

"We know they left two days after Splinters death, Maybe they just needed to get away. They will come back."

Mikey nodded, hope reentering his eyes.

"Now what do you say we give this behemoth a bath?" Jazz's eyes gleamed as she picked up the hose and turned the water on.

_**In the Sewers**_

Leonardo watched as Donnie pulled on the hidden switch and opened the huge doors leading to the lair. Moving into the lair, he smiled a little as a sense of homecoming filled him.

"I call dibs on the shower!" Raphael made a leap to the second floor and disappeared from view.

"I'm going to make sure April and Casey made it home ok, and run a check on the lair." Donnie moved with grace towards the area off to the right where his computers and equipment still sat.

Suddenly left by himself, Leo moved to the wall of tvs and turned it on. Settling on the couch he leaned back and began watching the news. Nearly half and hour later both of his brothers joined him.

"Leo, the jungle was amazing, but there's no substitute for home." Raph landed hard on the couch beside him, while Donnie sat in a worn out chair nearby..

Raph grabbed the remote and switched the channel. Leo made a swipe for the remote and said. "Hey i was watching that!"

"Guys look." Donnies voice cut through their rough housing and drew their attention to the Tv. On the screen a tan vehicle rotated slowly

"It looks a little like the Battle Shell."

"But how could that be? You checked on it, didn't you, Don?"

Donnie nodded. "The Battle Shell is still in the room over there with the Tunneler and Sewer Slider. And all my systems show that the lair hasn't been disturbed while we were gone."

Leo leaned forward and studied the vehicle. "Is it possible that someone got a hold of your designs?"

"The Battle Shell wasn't my design, It was Mikeys. Remember? He drew it out and bugged me until i built it. I've added stuff to it of course, but the basic design was Mikeys."

Raph scowled. Talk about his younger brother bothered him. "So how do you explain that then?" He thrust a finger towards the tv screen which had changed to show a view of the vehicle racing across a large flat area.

"I suppose it could be just that the vehicle was built on the same base armored truck as the Battle Shell." Don scrutinized the vehicle which was now slamming hard against another slightly smaller armored vehicle. "What is this show anyways?"

Leo started to say he didn't know, but just then the announcer came on and he listened instead.

"Armored Vehicle Racing at its most extreme can be a dangerous sport. Today however, This is supposed to be a race across a desert track. A simple run to prove which of our racers has what it takes to make it to the final race of the season. The AVRA Racing Final is a long 3 day race, It traverses all types of terrain. From snow and frozen rivers to muddy river beds and deserts."

The announcer paused as one of the vehicles on the screen suddenly launched a salvo of missiles at the Battle Shell lookalike. The big vehicle swerved and swayed as the missiles barely missed and slammed into the road ahead of them.

"And as you can see, the terrain is only one of the dangers. With Armored vehicles loaded with defensive and offensive weaponry it is bound to be interesting. With the end of the Racing Final, a two week window will open. During that time period, any and all Armored Vehicles expecting to run in the new season must be entered. Once the window is closed, there will be no more entries accepted."

Donnie leaned forward taking in the details of the vehicles and already his mind was racing with new upgrades to make to the Battle Shell. "This is awesome, check out the weaponry on that car there." He pointed at the screen, where a small silver car was pushing its way between two larger SUV's. As they watched, several small lasers unfolded from the roof of the vehicle. A moment later thin bolts of red sliced out, aimed at the wheel of a large gold truck. The trucks wheel shredded and the vehicle swerved off the road and rolled to a stop.

"The Silver Lark has just removed the Gold Grail from the race. This small car started the season out as a rookie that everyone was certain would be too small. But boy has she proven them wrong."

The three brothers watched the rest of the race, growing more and more engrossed in the race as it continued. All three cheered as the Crusader slid sideways across the finish line.

At the end, another announcer came on. "What you have just watched was the preliminary race for the finals. The top five racers of this race went on to compete against racers from other countries. As the racing world knows, The Crusader won its 2nd AVRA Final. That's all for today, thank you for watching this re-showing of the prelims. One final note, the registration for the next season will end in two days. So if you intend to have a vehicle in the AVRA this season, you'd better start entering.

Donnie and Raph both looked at Leo, grinning. Leo stood up and backed away, his hands raised in front of him. "No Way, Absolutely not! Its too dangerous."

"Aw come on Leo, It'll be fun."

"I can fix us racing suits and upgrade the Battle Shell." Dons eyes had that look in them that said his mind was already racing with ideas.

"What if we are discovered?" Leo could feel himself about to give in. Shell, if he admitted it to himself, It did look like fun.

:"I can make the suits so that we wont be recognized."

"Ill think it over." Leo made his way towards the door, wanting to get out of the lair.

"Better think fast Leo, Registration ends tomorrow night." Raphs narrowed eyes followed their leader as he left. "He wont let us, you know"

"You don't know that."

"Would splinter have let us?

"No"

Raph let out a growl and headed towards his room, tossing over his shoulder "There's your answer."


	2. Decisions

_Disclaimer: Don't own the TMNT, darn it ..._

_Authors Note: It occurred to me that I never fully explained the meaning of AVRA. So here it is along with a list of Vehicle Classes. I have a full list of all vehicles entered into the the AVRA as well. 22 in total. The list can be found on my profile. It is mostly for my reference. All the different classes race in the same races in this story, but I guess I kinda think of it as a ranking system a little. With Class 5 being the Biggest and Best out there, But then of course its going to be the best if the Crusader and Battle Shell are in it. :)_

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><p><strong>Armored Vehicle Racing Association<strong>

Class 1. Armored Cars, Up to 10 Feet in length, Lightweight  
>Class 2. Armored SUV s, Up to 15 Feet in length, Lightweight<br>Class 3. Armored SUV s, Up to 20 Feet in length, Heavy Weight  
>Class 4. Armored Trucks, Up to 30 Feet in Length, Up to 8 Tons in Weight<br>Class 5. Armored Trucks, Up to 45 Feet in Length, Up to 15 Tons  
><em>(*Class 5 Note: All vehicles in this class are required by racing law to have a Gravity-Sway bar equipped*)<em>

_**Chapter 2: Decisions **_

Leo stayed out most of the night trying to come to a decision about the racing thing. Reasons for not doing it along with arguments his father would have brought up continually ran through his mind. But one thing remained foremost in his thoughts. His family was slowly falling apart.

Even though they had been away in the jungle, each of the three brothers had done more and more of their own things. Which while in itself wasn't a bad thing, the fact that they had gone weeks without seeing each other, bothered Leo. Each time they ventured off on their own, More and more time passed. It had been the main reason he had brought his brothers back to New York.

This racing thing was dangerous certainly, But to do it they would have to work as a team. As they had in the past. And he couldn't help but wonder if it wouldn't bring the family back together. Maybe not completely whole as it had once been, but then it would never be that whole again.

It was early morning when he finally returned to the lair, his mind made up. He was surprised to see both Don and Raph waiting for him in the living room. Though he should have seen it coming. The fact that both were so interested in doing this, strengthened Leos resolve that he had made the right decision.

He could tell by the look on Raphs face that the turtle fully expected him to say they weren't doing it. All he could see on Dons face though was a look of excited hope. Leo stared at them for a moment, Searching for any doubt inside that what they were going to do was wrong. Finding none, he stiffened his shoulders. As he did so he heard the small disappointed growl that his brother gave.

"If we do this, we will have to do it as a team. We will have to be on our toes at all times." Leo watched as Don grinned with excitement and Raph stared at him incredulously.

"Your actually going to let us do this?"

"No." Leo stared at his brother for a second. Then grinned. "I'm not letting you do it. We are going to do it together."

Don broke in then, practically bouncing with ideas for the Battle Shell." Im going to need equipment, I think April can help with that."

Leo and Raph watched their brother with amusement as he paced, listing all the stuff he would need. They quickly caught his excitement and shortly the three brothers were working on the vehicle. It wasn't until hours later that Raph stopped and turned to Leo.

"Don't we need to register still?"

Leo froze, then slapped his hand against the side of his face. "Shell, I completely forgot about that. Don can you get me th-" Leo stopped as Don held out a piece of paper with a phone number and other information on it.

"The trucks stats are there as well, they may ask."

"What are we going to name the team?" Leo turned to his brothers, while pulling his shell cell out of his pocket.

They both paused to think about it for a moment then Don spoke up. "How about Tortuga Bros.?"

Raph nodded."I like it."

Leo opened the phone and dialed the number on the paper. As he did this, his brothers returned to working on the Battle Shell.

"AVRA Registration, May I help you?" The mans voice was polite but almost bored.

"Yes, I would like to register a team and vehicle for the upcoming racing season."

"Have you raced in the AVRA before?"

"No."

"Please state the teams name followed by the vehicles name."

"Team Tortuga Bros. Battle Shell."

"Your team will need a sponsor by the time of the Exhibition Event. Do you have one at this time."

Leo shook his head even though the man on the phone couldnt see. "Not yet, we have one in mind and are sure she will sponsor us but we still have to ask."

"Thats ok, you dont need one now, just be certain to have one by the time of the event. Now can you tell me how many members of the team you will have, their positions and if you will provide your own medical team or want to use one of ours." The mans voice was even more bored as he seemed to be reciting the questions from memory.

"There will be three members. Me and my two brothers. Raphael will be the driver. Donatello will be the navigat- one second please." Dons frantically waving hand caught his attention in mid sentence.

"You be the navigator, Leo. Your the strategist not me. Ill be better at being a backup driver and seeing to the Battle Shells systems."

"Your sure, Don?" Don was nodding as he turned back to his work.

"Ok then I guess I will be the one navigating."

"Your name, sir? And the position your other brother will be taking."

"I'm Leonardo, and Donatello will be Backup Driver/System Specialist."

"Very well, sir. Now I need information on the vehicle. You called it the Battle Shell?"

"Yes."

Next I will need estimated class, size and weight." The mans voice was getting even more bored if that was possible.

Leo glanced down the paper in his hand. "Class 5, Weight 14.7 tons, 44 ½ feet long. We don't have the Gravity-Sway bar installed yet, and my brothers estimating another hundred pounds for it." There was silence on the other side of the phone. "Sir?" Leo began to wonder if they had gotten disconnected.

The mans voice came back suddenly, highly excited. "Are you sure its a Class 5? It will be measured and weighed on Exhibition day, But are you sure?"

Leo was a little taken aback at the mans sudden change. "My brother is certain, therefore I am as well."

"Please hold one second."

Leo glanced over at where his brothers were working on the Battle Shell. He smiled as Raph wiped a grease stained hand over his forehead, leaving a streak of black across his brow.

"Leonardo, May I call you that?" The guys voice was practically vibrating with excitement at this point, making Leo smile again.

"Of course."

"Here is the deal, There are currently only two vehicles entered into the AVRA that are classified as Class 5s. If yours is indeed one, we would like to have it entered as a Mystery Entry. People would be highly curious about the new entry, and we would keep it completely classified until Exhibition Day. If you agree to this, you will not be able to contact other members of the race until your vehicle is declassified."

Leo liked that idea, but there was one small problem with it. "The only thing is that as I said before we don't have the sway bar installed. My brother was planning on making an appointment tomorrow to get one specifically designed for the Battle Shell. If we do that people will know about a class 5."

"Please hold for one more minute." Leo could hear the man talking with someone in the background, presumably a boss.

"Sir? We think this Mystery Entry is an excellent idea, and will boost the AV racings popularity, and we are willing to provide transportation for the Battle Shell to the Exhibition grounds the night before, where our teams would install a gravity-sway bar free of charge. All we would need, would be for your system specialist to provide precise dimensions for the bars installation."

"That would be awesome." Leo grinned at his brothers and quickly relayed the news to them, Don agreed to email the information to them immediately and the man told them they would send an email with instructions for the transportation of the Battle Shell and rules for the race to them shortly.

Don had decided to take a break from working on the vehicle and was digging up information on the computer about their opponents. Leo was helping Raph affix a laser cannon in one of the side compartments when they heard his gasp. Setting aside the laser, Leo made his way to his brothers side, with Raph close behind.

"Don, you ok?"

"I- I'm not sure. Read this profile and tell me I am imagining things." Dons voice was slightly shakey.

Leo and Raph both leaned over to read the profile on the screen.

**Profile of Michael Rodenco, Driver of the Crusader.**

Height: 5'2  
>Eyes: Blue<br>Weight: Undisclosed  
>Favorite Color: Orange<br>Likes: Comics, Pizza  
>Hobbies: Ninjutsu, AV Racing, and Skateboarding.<br>Other Notes: Rodenco is the Co-Founder of the AVRA and also considered a Co-Founder of New Boundaries, though it is believed that he only remains as a silent partner in the organization.

Raph growled. "What the shell is this Don? If its a trick its a bad one."

"Its not a trick, Raph. Not mine anyways."

Leo frowned and read the profile again. "Don, that could be Mikeys double listed there. How is that possible?"

"Well it could be Mikey... Remember I said that he designed the Battle Shell originally? The Crusader is practically its twin."

"But that would mean..." Raph growled again and this time slammed a fist down on the table.

Leos eyes narrowed. "That would mean Splinter lied to us."

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><p><em>*Authors Note: Sorry for another note, but I also wanted to say sorry if this chapter seems boring. This story was started over a year ago, with about as many rewrites as you could think of. But this section has always remained."<em>


	3. Exhibition Event

_Disclaimer: I don't own the turtles, tmnt or anything else. Except for Jazz I do own her... :P_

_Authors Note: Thankies to the reviewers. You guys are great._

_Sorry for the delay. I had planned to make the next chapter a part of this one, but I decided to go ahead and post this and use the next chapter for the race._

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 3: The Exhibition Event (pre-race)<strong>_

Jazz leaned back against the Crusader, her arms crossed over her chest. Breathing deeply she glanced up at the night sky. The shear amount of stars in the sky out here never ceased to amaze her. Letting her gaze drop from the the sky to run slowly of the silhouette of the old farm and its barn, she found herself wondering when the last time her friends brothers had been here.

She brushed the thought away and let her gaze drift over to the shadowed hilltop nearby. The silhouette of the weeping willow and the turtle knelt at its base was clear even as dark as it was. Coming here before a race or an AVRA event had become a tradition. She never asked the turtle what he thought while kneeling beside his fathers grave. She knew Mikey wouldn't mind if she did, but it wasn't really her business. She was there for him if he needed it. They both knew that.

She shifted, watching as the turtle stood and slowly made his way towards her and the Crusader. He stopped beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder gripping tightly in silent thanks. A few minutes later the bulky vehicle pulled onto the highway and made way for the Exhibition Event, which was being held some 50 miles away.

_(At the AVRA Exhibition Center)_

Leo watched as Donatello fidgeted nearby. The Battle Shell was parked under a huge blue and white tent. And at the moment, a team of very thorough inspectors were going over the vehicle with a multitude of instruments.

They had arrived several hours earlier, the Battle Shell having been brought here by an AVRA Semi specially made for moving armored vehicles. Since then, they had registered, had the Battle Shell weighed and measured, and had the gravity-sway bar installed.

As Leo continued to watch the men climbing over and in their vehicle, he felt more then saw Raphael begin to shift next to him as well. Glancing at his brother, he watched as the turtle tugged on the racing suit Don had made. The suit was black with various emblems including the 2nd Time Arounds own logo. A matching helmet covered their heads. He had to hand it to Don. The suits were a little bulky, but it was impossible to tell that they were actually turtles wearing them.

Finally the inspection team left, giving the Battle Shell a Certificate of Racing. It was about an hour till the event started and the three turtles began their own checklist inspection on the Battle Shell. After completing the checklist, Don contacted April and Casey to make certain they had the Shell Copter nearby in the case of an accident. The helicopter had been converted as a mobile med-unit. The AVRA required you either provide your own medical facilities or used theirs. Once he was done, they began to go through strategies they might need.

As they talked, Raph leaned over switching on the monitor and tuning it to the AVRAs broadcast. On the screen the camera was panning over the crowds of people walking towards their seats in the stands before moving over the different vehicles that were parked by classes. Many of them had inspection teams climbing over them.

"We are nearing the start of the Event, and many of the racers are getting ready. The mystery vehicle has been reported to have arrived, as well all the other entries." The camera moved down a line of 21 vehicles, each parked by class. It started with the smallest and moved to the largest. The announcer finding some tidbit to say about each vehicle. The camera hesitated and zoomed in on the Crusader.

"It seems we may have a problem near the Crusader. The camera can't get close enough to tell, however it seems that an argument has sprung up between Rodenco, and the Tempests driver, Gerald Clarke."

The three brothers leaned in, watching the excitement on the screen. Each looking for any clue that the Crusaders driver might actually be Mikey.

_(Near the Crusader)_

Mikey growled, placing his hands on the nunchaku hidden in his racing suit. Jazz leaned in covering his hand with hers. He glanced over at her and she shook her head. It wasnt worth it.

The idiot in front of him laughed. "Hiding behind your navigators skirts again, Rodenco?"

Mikey snarled again and this time shook off Jazz's hand. "And you hide behind the Earth Protection Force. I may not be able to touch them, but I can and will beat you on the track."

Clarke gave another amused chuckle. "We will see about that" He leaned into Mikeys personal space."Oh and by they way, Is the rumor true? Does your navigator give you directions in bed as well as on the track?"

Neither the turtle nor the man saw the fist coming. It connected with Clarke's chin and the man went down. Jazz turned away and stalked back to the Crusader. Mikey turned to where Clarke was picking himself up off the ground, and grinned. He was considering taking up where she left off, when several racing officials came and pulled Clarke away.

As a couple of the officials led Clarke back towards the Tempest, another turned towards him. "Please return to the Crusader and await the Racing committees decision on a disciplinary action."

Mikey opened his mouth to argue, then decided not to bother. The AVRA wouldn't listen to their stories, they would simply punish both equally. Up to kicking both teams out of the race. Stepping up into the Crusader, he smiled as he watched Jazz brandishing her single katana and single sai at an invisible opponent. As soon as she saw him though, she replaced the weapons and moved to face him.

"Im sorry. I could have just cost us the race." She glanced down at the floor of the vehicle.

Mikey grinned. "Don't worry about it. Its only an exhibition race. And besides it would be totally worth it to have seen Clarke get punched."

She turned her back and moved to take her seat at the navigators console. "Doesn't it bother you that we are best friends, and yet everyone seems to think that we are..." She let it drift off, not wanting to put it to words.

"

"No. Because we know the truth and it doesn't have anything to do with them." Mikey slid into the drivers seat and set about getting the vehicle ready for its race. Assuming they would still be in it.

_(In the Battle Shell)_

Raphael grinned as the image on the screen showed the lithe woman slam a fist into the taller mans jaw. They hadn't been able to hear what was said because the camera was too far away, but it obviously wasn't good. "I like her"

Don snickered. "Just cause she can knock a guy off his feet?"

Raph was about to make a snide comeback when the monitor shifted to show the AVRAs logo and began to beep. Don activated it then moved around to join his brothers so he could see the screen. A slightly balding man appeared on the screen.

"Is the Battle Shell ready? Theres been a change in the lineup."

"We are ready, sir."

"Good, I'm sure you saw the little altercation that happened between the drivers of the Crusader and the Tempest." The brothers nodded. " Any actions against the rules always have a disciplinary action in the AVRA. Therefore we are taking away the Crusaders #1 starting position and giving it to you. This means the mystery entry will be announced first instead of last. The Crusader will take the Tempests #19 spot and the Tempest will have your previous spot."

Raph and Don moved to their positions quickly, while Leo moved to shut the vehicles door. The man on the monitor smiled. " Good luck. The Battle Shell is impressive and its going to make one heck of a hit out there." The connection was cut before Leo could respond.

{_On board the Crusader}_

It was silent except for the soft whirring of the instruments as they ran through the finale checks to make sure they were ready to go. It would be a bit yet, as they had been moved to near last. A bad starting position if there was one. They would be held up behind a line of vehicles in front of them. It would slow their starting acceleration down to a crawl. As they ran through the final prep, Mikey tuned into the announcers broadcast.

"Ladies and Gentleman, The time you've been waiting for has arrived. Due to the AVRA re-positioning some of its racers, You will now get to see the mystery entry first."

There was a pause in the broadcast as they waited for the vehicle under the tent to start its engine, and when it did Mikey sat up straight. He heard that sound in his dreams nearly every night."No way..."

Jazz looked over at him. "What is it?"

His eyes were glued to the tent that kept him from seeing the mystery vehicle. "That vehicle sounds a lot like the the Battle Shell."

The announcers voice came back before Jazz could respond. "One minute folks I'm being handed the envelope on the mystery vehicle now." There was silence for a moment. "You are in for a treat, Ladies and Gentlemen. This years Mystery Entry has been classified as a Class 5 Defensive vehicle. That's right, you heard correctly, This vehicle is the AVRAs third Class 5 Vehicle to enter."

"Weighing in at 14.7 tons and measuring at 44 ½ feet long, this entry is only slightly smaller then the Crusader. Making it the second largest vehicle in the AVRA. It is owned and operated by the Tortuga Brothers, and Sponsored by New York's 2nd Time Around Antique store."

Mikey gripped the Crusaders steering wheel, His eyes locked on the mystery tent. He wanted nothing more then to go see for himself if it was indeed his brothers there. But there wasn't any point. Racing security didn't allow contact between the racers and anyone else at this stage of the event. He snorted. His own rules holding him back.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, May I introduce...the Battle Shell!"

The crowd was silent as the Battle Shell pulled out from under the tent. Then cheers broke out from the stands, but inside the Crusader, it was silent. Mikey stared as the Battle Shell began moving slowly down the track to the first slot at the starting line.

The rest of the introductions passed in a blur for Mikey. More then once he started to climb out of the vehicle to head towards the Battle Shell, and more then once Jazz gripped his arm. He was about to say heck with the rules and go anyways when the Crusaders name was called. He didn't start the vehicle right off, still debating on going to his brothers.

"Something appears to be wrong with the Crusader, they still haven't started their engines or moved to their starting place. We can only give them a couple more minutes befo-" The announcer was cut off by the sudden snarl of the Crusaders engine. "Ah here they come now."

The Crusader could have been on autopilot as Mikey maneuvered it without really paying attention. His mind was racing. He had been searching for over a year and a half. Searching the entire globe. And they show up not 20 yards from from him. The need to see them, to speak to them was deep, but so was the fear.

Fear that they wouldn't want him back, wouldn't want anything to do with him. If it came to that, he didn't really know what he would do. He didn't think he would be able to handle it. He took a deep breath and tried to push his worries to the back. The race was about to start and even in an exhibition race, if you didn't have your head in the game, it could be disastrous.

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><p><em>(AN) I originally though I had been working on this story for over a year, but I've found documents on it from a computer I haven't used in at least two years. I tend to find it frustrating though, because I see these events, the characters emotions so clearly in my head, yet they just don't seem to come out that way. <em>


	4. The Race is on

_Disclaimer: I don't own, nor make any money off of the TMNT. _

_AN: Thankies to the dedicated readers and reviewers. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up._

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 4: The Race is On... <strong>_

The race had started ten minutes ago, and Michelangelo was not happy. Usually by this time the Crusader was near the head of the pack. But as it was, they were well and truly blocked in at the back of it. Under normal circumstances, they could use their offensive weapons to make a path, but this was a Exhibition Race. Which meant that while all vehicles were fully armed, using any of them during the race would be instant disqualification.

"Tempest in front, Red Serpent to port, Black Raider to starboard." Jazz reported quietly, her eyes glued to her monitors as her fingers moved over the board in front of her. "Best bet is behind, Level 2 Challenger."

Mikey nodded without really answering and slammed his foot down on the brake. The little Challenger darted out of the way, but was instantly replaced by a much larger vehicle, The Gold Grail. He growled, he didn't like being trapped, and he had a bad feeling that they were more or less being herded.

"Where is the Battle Shell?"

"Near the front, running next to the Land Shark. Something odd is going on. Our communications are being jammed. I cant get the Racing Broadcast, nor can I contact anyone." Jazz's hands were flying over the console. "Not just ours, but everyones."

"Can you tell where its coming from?" Mikey made another move to get out of the trap, slamming the Crusader up against the Red Serpent, managing to make a little room before the level 3 vehicle darted back into formation.

"No. The signal is being refracted by the engines nearby. I'm scanning the track ahead no- Mikey brake now!"

Mikey slammed the brakes, not checking what was going on, simply following his partners direction. A second later the Battle Shell slammed the Tempest out from in front of them. Taking advantage of the sudden opening, He put some space between them and the four vehicles that had managed to trap them.

He grinned and waved at the Battle Shell, even though they probably couldn't see. Glancing over at Jazz, he expected to see her smiling back, but she was bent over her monitor again. A look of horror slowly creeping across her face.

"What is it?"

"I can't tell for certain, the jamming signal is messing up our systems, but I think there might be a mine on the track ahead. Make that multiple mines."

"How far ahead?"

"I'm not certain, maybe two miles."

"Can we detonate them with missiles?" Mikey hit several switches on the board, bringing the vehicles armaments online.

"Not until we are much closer, I'm still having trouble locating their exact position."

_(On board the Battle Shell)_

Raphael grinned as the Battle Shell slammed sideways into the Tempest, shoving it out of the way. Leo glanced at him sideways and shook his head.

"The Crusader is one of the vehicles we have to watch out for and you just helped them?"

Raphs eyes were glued to the road ahead of him, his beak pulled back in between a grin and a smirk. "Wouldn't want it to be too easy now would we? With the Crusader free we might actually have some competition."

Don broke in then, a concerned frown on his brow. "Guys, something weirds going on. The vehicles are all being jammed, and I can't get a connection to Casey or April either."

A sudden beeping from Leos console suddenly drew his attention. "Careful, Raph. The Crusaders just armed her weapons."

Don swiveled back to his bank of computers, running several scans on the Crusader. "That doesn't make sense either. They're officially out of the race now. They have to know that."

"Raph! Evasive maneuvers now!" Leos voice snapped with urgency, his hands moving over the console in front of him to send evasive options to the small monitor near the steering wheel.

The Crusader slammed into the side of the Battle Shell, obviously trying to force them to lose control. A second later it dropped back slightly and slammed against them again, this time near their rear bumper. The effect was a slight shimmy nothing more. The gravity-sway bar keeping the vehicle under their control.

"What the shell is their problem?" Raph growled out before slamming the vehicle back at the Crusader.

Don swiveled around in his chair, a look of horror on his face. "Raph! Full stop now! There are mines in front of us!"

Raphael slammed the brakes and the huge vehicle groaned with the stress of trying to slow over 14 tons that quickly. Don gripped the edge of his station and Leo braced his hands out straight in front of him. Then came the swoosh of several missiles being fired nearby.

The road ahead of them erupted in a ball of fire as the explosions rocked the Battle Shell. They watched in horror as the Crusader didn't slow down, but careened forward.

_{On the Crusader)_

Mikey pushed the brake peddle to the floor, but the back wheels gripped at loose sand, kicking it out behind them but not slowing them down. He glanced over at Jazz, nodding as she hit the emergency call button that would have the New Boundaries Helicopters in the air in seconds. He tried turning the vehicle, but the loose sand under the wheels caused the 15 ton Crusader to swing uncontrollably, the gravity-sway bar groaning under the stress of keeping the vehicle upright.

The gravity-bar broke suddenly and the back of the vehicle swung towards the explosions that still erupted from the ground. The backend slid over an intact mine and it exploded, lifting the vehicle into the air and slamming it down on its side near the Battle Shell.

Jazz groaned and sat up, an interesting feat considering she'd been laying on a bank of computers and equipment that lined the side of the vehicle. "Mikey?"

"Why do I feel like I got hit by a dump truck?" Mikeys voice came from the front of the vehicle, and while it shook slightly it had that wisecrack edge to it. He couldn't be in that bad of shape then.

"Never call the Crusader a dump truck!"

He laughed, or tried too, it ended in a soft gasp and a sudden indrawn breath." I think I broke my ribs."

"It'll be ok. I can hear the helicopters now." Even so she moved to the front of the vehicle, leaning over to help Mikey straighten up a little. He winced and she was force to stop.

"My brothers... The Battle Shell..."

"I'm not certain but I think they're behind us, we took the brunt of the blast." Jazz ran her hands over Mikeys racing suit, paying attention to where he seemed to hurt more. "I don't think anything is broken, maybe just a few bruised ribs."

"Easy for you to say" She smiled slightly at Mikeys quip.

_(Outside between the Battle Shell and the Crusader)_

Raphael growled and tried to push past the man again. Leo put a hand on his brothers shoulder. "We just want to know if Mikey is alright"

The man, a good foot taller then them and clad in a black and white suit, shook his head. "Im sorry sir, but rules are rules, you are not allowed near the Crusader. At this point only the medical team and New Boundaries personal are."

"Raph, Leo, Its ok hes just doing his job. He is trying to protect Mikey." Don came forward and tugged on their arms. "Besides the head of the racing committee is here and wants our statements. Let them take care of Mikey and his navigator, we can catch up to him later."

It took some more persuading, but finally Don managed to draw Raph and Leo back to the Battle Shell. Once there the Racing Committee bombarded them with questions. After several hours of giving their statements, handing over the recorded data Don's computers had accumulated, they were finally allowed to leave.

At some point during all this, they were aware of the fact that a helicopter lifted off from near the Crusader with Mikey and Jazz aboard. As much as they asked though, the Racing Committee would not tell them exactly how bad the injuries were. On the way home however, a press release on the news stated that the pair had only received minor injuries and were expected to be fine.

It took several more hours for them to get home and for Don to go through everything he could find to triangulate just where Mikey might have been taken after leaving the race track. They had several options, but the favorite was the large warehouse that was reported to be the home base for the Crusader. So it was quite dark out when they left the lair, moving from roof top to roof top silently.

Jazz sighed softly as she entered the garage part of the warehouse. It was dark, but she decided against turning the lights on. The Crusader had been brought here earlier and she wasn't ready for all the damage she knew would show under the bright lights. The front end had been the least damaged and she leaned against it, running her fingers over the cold metal.

They would have to do a complete analysis on the vehicle in the morning, including some serious inspection on the gravity-sway bar. They didn't just break. She growled to herself, anger washing over her. The Crusader had been sabotaged. She knew it with a certainty. She also knew, with just as much certainty that someone would pay for it.

She smiled slightly at how silly she was being, But the Crusader was her baby. She had poured everything she had into the creation and upkeep of that vehicle. Even Mikey backed down when she was mad about something that effected her baby. Even though he would tease her unmercifully about it later.

Her thoughts scattered as she heard a soft noise on the other side of the room, she froze and tilted her head listening. She located the noise again and stiffened as she realized there was someone moving stealthily across the room from her. She was on her feet and moving silently towards the intruder in seconds, pulling out her katana and sai as she went.

Leo hesitated, thinking he had heard a noise, when it didn't come again he continued on. Only to stop suddenly at the feel of cold steel against his neck and a shadowy form suddenly appearing in front of him. Behind him, his brothers froze for a minute before pulling their weapons. They didn't advance, not wanting to scare their attacker into hurting Leo.

"Lights" A womans voice from the shadow infront of Leo, then bright lights flickered on and he found himself blinking rapidly. His eyes quickly adjusted and narrowed on the black haired woman holding a katana to his throat and sai held defensively in front of her. The womans blue eyes widened suddenly and Leo could have sworn she recognized him. She verified it a second later.

"Leonardo?" The woman pulled her weapons quickly away from the turtle and sheathed them. Clasping her hands infront of her she bowed to him. He returned the bow out of habit more then anything, noting that while Don did as well, Raphael did not.

Leo nodded. "How do you know my name?"

"I am Jasmine, or Jazz. Mikeys navigator." She eyed each of them, taking in their simularities and differences. Even without their masks, she would have been able to tell who was who. Mikeys descriptions of their behaviors had been very detailed.

"How is Mike? Can we see him?" Leos voice was full of concern and worry.

"Follow me." Jazz lead the way down the hall to a room not far from the garage. "Please wait here."

Leo started to ask her again how Mikey was, but she vanished inside the room. Sighing softly he turned towards his brothers. Dons face was worried of course, but it was Raphs that caught his attention. His eyes were narrowed behind his red mask, and while he tried to hide it, Leo could see that he was scared. He understood that fear. He too felt it. Fear that Mikey wouldn't be Mikey. Fear that their brother would want nothing to do with them.

Inside the room, Jazz smiled softly. Michelangelo was fast asleep on the chair, the remote having slid from his hand to hit the floor. Her eyes narrowed slightly and a wave of anger spread its way over her face at the bandages wrapped around his chest. She debated waking him for a moment, then decided she would let his brothers do it. Exiting the room she stopped as three sets of eyes hit her with a force that would have stopped the Crusader.

"He is asleep. I didn't wake him, but you can. He would never forgive me if I had you wait til he was awake." She smiled a little, then it fell as she moved past the brothers. "Please be mindful of his injuries though. While they weren't serious they are painful. His ribs were bruised." With that she turned and left, heading back to her baby. Maybe she would begin the work now anyways, or maybe get a look at what had to be done.

They watched her leave then turned back to the door she had left them in front of. Leo hesitated then gently pushed the door open. He stopped and stared. He couldn't help it. His baby brother was there, asleep. Leo breathed a sigh of relief, for the first time in 3 years, fully allowing himself to believe his brother was alive.

Behind him he heard Raphs indrawn breath, and Don whispered Mikeys name. It was a soft whisper, barely audible. But the turtle on the chair in front of them was on his feet and dropping into a defensive stance before any of them could react.

Mikey had been dreaming. The same old dream he always had. Or at least the most common. The one where he abandoned his brothers. A noise whispered through the dream and his mind registered that it had been real, not a dream. Reflex had him on his feet and facing the threat before he was even completely awake.

It took another moment to register that the three figures before him weren't an enemy, and another moment after that to try and convince himself he wasn't still dreaming.

"Leo?" His voice was quiet, almost a whisper.

Mikeys eyes went from one brother to the next. They hadn't moved. But then neither had he. For a brief moment, fear rooted him to his spot, the next he cast it aside and flung himself at his brothers. As he collided with them his ribs protested but he ignored it as the four of them fell to the ground.

Mikey buried his head in against a brothers neck, not completely sure who it was. Sobs shuddered up from deep inside and he simply held on and cried for a few minutes.

Leo pulled away from his brother a little, leaning back to look down at him. Mikey was curled into his chest, Don and Raph both also holding onto him as if they were afraid he would vanish again. He waited while the sobs slowly dwindled down til they were just an occasional hiccup. Then he slowly put just a little distance between him and his brother, staying within touching range.

"Mikey" Leo hesitated suddenly certain he wasn't going to like the answer to his next question. But they had to know, so he forged on. "Why did Master Splinter tell us you were dead?"

"B-b-because he believed it was true." Mikeys head lowered a little. "I should start at the beginning."

They got up and moved to the couch staying as close as possible to each other. As they did, Mikey began to talk, hesitating sometimes and always with a sad look on his face. It pulled at Leos heart and he knew by the looks on his brothers faces it bothered them as well.

"It began a few years ago actually. Maybe four or so. One night we were out, chasing the purple dragons, we were in the Battle Shell. And I can remember thinking that it would be awesome to race against other armored vehicles, instead of always just chasing the bad guys."

Mikey hesitated, shifting to ease the pressure building against his bruised ribs. "You know me, once I get an idea its hard to get rid of it. So I began the basic designs for the Crusader, and writing out how one would hold the races and such. I even went so far as to contact several armored vehicle manufactures to see what kind of interest there would be. There was tons."

"Mikey you had to have known that there was no way you could have actually went about it, without risking the family." Leo tried for a frown, but it didn't work. He was too happy to have his brother back.

His little brother nodded. "I went to Splinter first. H-he refused to listen to me. He told me to forget the foolish thing and to concentrate on my training. But I couldn't. I decided that the only way I could follow through with my dream would be to leave the family."

He shifted, pulling away from his brothers a little, his eyes downcast. "I saw my chance the night the foot attacked us in that building. I slipped out and was about a block away when I decided that I was being stupid. I couldn't leave my family. Not even for a dream. So I turned back and was on my way back to the fight when everything suddenly just went dark."

"I found myself strapped to a table, Bishop was there. I won't go into what happened. I-i can't." Mikey hesitated again and hiccuped. Leo could feel Raph tensing nearby, and watched as Don gathered his brother close once again.

"Most of the rest of this I learned from the Utroms and Professor Honeycutt after we got away. Master Splinter searched for me, telling you guys that I had went to the ancient one. He refused to let you guys come after me, believing your judgement would be clouded. He worked with the Professor and managed to find out that Bishop had me."

"They met with Bishop and made a deal. The utroms would leave the planet completely, and I would be released. They never told me anything about it, and im not even certain Bishop had planned to hold his part of it up, but it didn't matter I messed it up." Mikey sniffled then straightened up.

"I managed to overwhelm my guard and I headed for the nearest exit. I was almost there when I heard this scream. It was like nothing I had heard before." Mikey shivered. He still heard that scream in his dreams. "It came from one of the rooms I had just passed so I backtracked and busted in. Bishop was there, and he was running some kind of experiment on the woman there. I still don't know what he did. She wont talk about it."

"Bishop threatened to kill her if I didn't give up and allow them to put me back in my cell. So I did. After that they put her in my cell. I think they thought they could control us better that way. That woman is my navigator, Jasmine."

He shifted out of Donnies arms and moved to stand in front of the couch, then he began to pace. "For a long time after that we didn't try to escape. And then one day Bishop put the both of us into a vehicle and we were driven to a place out in the middle of nowhere. I remember thinking, this was our chance. But before I could figure out how to escape, a van pulled up on the other side of the clearing we were in. Master Splinter along with several utroms got out. I couldn't figure out why he was there and you guys weren't."

Raph reached out and gently tugged his brother back to the couch, pulling him close. "At the time I wasn't sure what happened next, Bishop was talking to Splinter, and then there was an explosion between Splinter and our vehicle. Later I figured it was a smoke screen. Our vehicle was dropped into a room below and a destroyed one was put in its place. Splinter and the Utroms believed we were killed in the explosion."

"We were with Bishop for a couple more months after that, though I had pretty much lost track of time. One day we saw our chance to escape and we took it. Bishop didn't come after us. I still don't know why. But whatever... I was glad to get out of there."

"During our time together Jazz and I had become close friends and she decided to return to New York with me. It took us awhile, mainly because we were scared we were being followed. When we finally made it, it was too late." Mikey suddenly dug down against Raphs chest and began crying again.

Leo pulled the sobbing turtle away from Raph and hugged him. "Mikey, what happened?"

Mikey wiped a hand across his eyes and sniffled a little. "We arrived back in New York exactly two days after Splinter died. I-i took Jazz to the lair with me, but the passwords and hidden locks had been changed. I couldn't get in. J-j-jazz got in easily though. " He smiled a little. "It felt so good to be finally home. But the lair was empty. We stayed there a couple days thinking you would be home soon."

"When you didn't come back, I went out looking for a sign, anything that could tell me where you guys had gone. I came across Professor Honeycutt, and he took me to Splinters grave. He didn't know what had happened to you guys though."

"Over the course of the next few months I worked with the Professor and we started New Boundaries, Originally it was supposed to be only to find you. But then we had the chance to help the local police and it went from there. I also discovered that the Armored Vehicle manufactures had taken my idea about the AVRA and had gotten it started. I contacted them and they agreed to make me a partner."

He stood up once again and walked a little ways away. "New Boundaries searched everywhere for you guys." He whirled to face them. "Where the shell did you go?"

Leo stood up and went over to face his brother. "We went to Central America, to the jungle, Mikey. We had lost a brother and a few months later we lost our father. We couldn't handle being in the lair anymore at the time."

Jazz pulled the gravity-sway bar off of the Crusader and froze as a small red light came up on the bottom of it. Hissing as she drew in a quick breath, she dropped it and ran.

Mikey was about to ask his brothers about their time in the jungle when an explosion rocked the building. He froze his heart pounding as he realized the direction it had come from.

He beat his brothers out the door and slid to a halt before the garage. Relief flooding him as he saw Jazz standing there. It quickly died down as he saw the absolute fury on her face. He knew that look. She'd had it on her face the first time he had crashed the Crusader.

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><p><em>I realize i forgot to mention how Splinter died. It was natural causes, he was getting abit old after all, and losing a son would make you even older.<em>


	5. Just another race

_Disclaimer: Still don't own the TMNT _

_A/N Thanks to the reviewers, and to __Smile-I'mTheEndOfAllThatYouSee for pointing out Honeycutts name. I also believe that while yes splinter should have supported Mikeys dream, that theres no way he would have at the risk of his family being discovered or hurt. The AVRA List has been posted to my profile if anyone was wanting to see it._

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 5: Just another race...<strong>_

_(Location: AVRA Racing Headquarters, Located in New York)_

Michelangelo paced the room from one end to the other, before turning to face the other two. The first man, Co-racer and Co-founder of the AVRA, John Alexander was also one of Mikeys best friends. The second man, Reese Banders, was the other Co-founder of the AVRA. He owned a Armored Vehicle company but didnt actively race.

"There were mines on the field! Not just one, but over five of them! And the Crusader was nearly blown to bits by a bomb attached to the gravity-sway bar, not to mention the fact that my brothers and my navigator could have been killed! And you want me to calm down?" He went back to pacing then, clad in his racing suit, but helmetless. The others in the room were used to this though. Mikey had been adamant that there be no secrets between them when they had entered the partnership.

Reese shifted slightly. "We've investigated everything, theres no way of telling who did it. All we can do is make sure it doesn't happen again."

"No way? Come on, Reese! You know who it was!" John turned from watching his friend pace to confront the other man in the room.

"Knowing and proving are two different things. At this point, all we can do is make sure it doesn't happen in the next race."

"The professor has turned New Boundaries resources from looking for my brothers to seeing if they can prove that Clarke and the Tempest were behind this. But its a long shot. And I'm beginning to wonder if we should hold the opening race or not." Mikey stopped pacing to look out the glass windows.

"We can't cancel! The AVRA has way too much money put into this to just cancel. It would close us down." Reese looked like he was starting to panic, something he did often. "Or are you just afraid you wont have the Crusader ready in time?"

Mikey turned from the window and advanced on the man. "Whether or not the Crusader will be ready isn't the question. What if something like this happens again? What if people are killed?"

"We up the security thats what. Run scans on the race track before and during the race. We go over each vehicle with a fine tooth comb. We actually should have been doing that before." John offered a slight smile.

Mikey nodded. "Ill have New Boundaries look into helping with that."

"Sooooo Mikey, You still haven't said if the Crusader will be ready to race in two weeks." John switched the subject smoothly.

Mikey grinned. "She will be ready. You should see Jazz and Donnie working on her. Raph and Leo help until one of them does something to have Jazz chasing them out."

Reese frowned. "I'm still not certain if its right for opposing teams to work together on the same vehicle."

John chuckled. "Id like to meet your brothers sometime. And Reese, I kind of think we should promote it, It shows Sportsmanship. Something the AVRA doesn't usually get to see much of. People would eat it up."

"You may have a point. I need to get going though, have a meeting on the final line up for the Opening Race." Reese turned and walked out, leaving the two friends to chatter back and forth a bit.

_(back at the Crusaders garage)_

Mikey stopped as he entered the garage. After looking for his brothers for so long, it still kind of shocked him that they were here. He leaned back against the wall and watched his brothers. Don and Jazz were on top of the Crusader, working to replace the Gravity-sway bar. Leo was working under the backend of the vehicle, occasionally yelling questions up to Don. He didn't see Raph right away, and then the red banded turtle slid out of the Crusaders side door. The turtle turned to face him.

"So what, you just gonna stand there all day and let us do all the work?" Raph came over and pulled Mikey away from the wall, giving him a hard rub on the head.

"Hey!" Mikey wiggled out of Raphs grip and leaned up to yank his mask sideways before running over to the Crusader.

"Brat!" Raph growled, but was unable to stay mad as he watched his brothers grinning face.

Jazz dropped to the floor next to Mikey silently, followed by Don. Leo slid out from under the vehicle and Raph moved over to join them.

"We are ready to give her a test drive. Everythings fixed and or replaced, but we need her out on the track to see what needs fine tuned." Jazz wiped her hands on a cloth then tossed it to Don.

"Johns given us permission to use his track. I don't suppose the Battle Shell would want to make a race of it?"

"Yes!" Raphs quick answer had Leo and Don laughing.

Mikeys eyes glittered. "So what would the stakes be?"

Jazz rolled her eyes and moved to get a piece of paper to write the tracks address down on while the four brothers bickered about stakes.

An hour later found the two armored vehicles parked side by side on the starting line of a private raceway. The track was deserted except for John and the turtles. The track was pretty new and he was going over the basics of the track with them.

"Are you guys going to be using weaponry?" John looked up at them from the map that laid over the rail next to them.

"Yeah, but I would suggest light weapons. We need to test out the Crusaders systems fully and that includes weapons." Jazz pointed an area that was blank on the map. "Whats this area?"

"Canyon passage, high walls on both sides. Camera black out area."

Leonardo stood up from scanning the map and glanced at his brothers."I think we're ready."

Mikey shifted looking uncomfortable for a moment. His eyes moving from Jazz to John then over each of his brothers before landing on the Battle Shell for a moment.

"What is it, Mikey?" Don moved over to stand beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder.

He shook his head. It was silly to be worried here. John had the best security and would have had the track gone over with a fine toothed comb the instant he heard they wanted to use it. And the race between him and his brothers was a spur of the moment thing.

"Just be careful out there ok guys?" He couldn't help but worry. He had this deep seated fear that he would loose them again.

Raphael grinned. "Just don't take it easy on us, Mikey. We can handle ourselves."

"I know that, But-"

"Its ok, Mikey." Jazz said nothing else, but he knew she understood his fear. He nodded at her and turned back to his friends and brothers.

"Well lets get this show on the road then."

A couple minutes later all that could be heard was the revving of two powerful engines as they got ready for the race ahead. Mikey narrowed his eyes and focused on the track ahead as the lights began to flicker red, then yellow. The Crusader had one of the fastest acceleration records in the AVRA and he needed to test that out too. So he would have to be on the ball.

"Timers are ready, armaments ready, defensive systems ready, all systems ready." He remained silent as Jazz listed off the start up procedures.

The light flickered from yellow to green and he slammed his foot to the floor, the 15 ton vehicle leaping forward and shoving them back in its seats. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of the Battle Shell keeping pace with them during the acceleration and grinned.

"Raphael had pretty good reflexes." Jazz stated. "Their starting time matched ours evenly.

"Raph will be kinda hard in his maneuvers, he wont pull his punches so to speak." Mikey watched as the terrain ahead slowly changed from a dirt track to a hard rock one.

She nodded. "Here comes one of those punches now."

The Battle Shell suddenly slammed into the side of the Crusader, causing them to slow slightly. His brothers took advantage of this and instantly the Battle Shell had the lead.

Mikey grinned and allowed the vehicle to slow down just a little more, glancing to the side he watched as Jazz readied several rockets. He trusted her to not use anything that could actually hurt his brothers. Heck there was only one weapon on the vehicle that could actually do extensive damage to the Battle Shell and he knew she wouldn't use it. But the fear of losing them was still there.

Two smoke screen rockets launched and impacted directly infront of the Battle Shell, causing them to slow and sway slightly as their vision was taken to zero. They were past it in a matter of seconds but it had cost them time and the Crusader was now in the lead.

Raph let out an annoyed growl as they passed through the smoke screen. Don grinned. "Inventive. Leave it to a ninja."

Leo said nothing, watching the track ahead as it narrowed so that only one vehicle could pass at a time. Pressing two buttons he brought the laser system online and targeted a boulder nearby, firing he shattered it and caused the Crusader to swerve.

Mikey let out a startled yelp as he yanked on the steering wheel to swerve around the boulders rubble. The gravity-sway bar hummed on and began counterbalancing the vehicle. As he swerved though something snapped in the steering column and the wheel suddenly rotated freely. Mikeys eyes widened and he slammed on the brakes. As the Crusader slowed the front wheels suddenly caught on a piece of the boulders rubble and slammed the vehicle sideways, nearly tipping it over before the gravity-sway bar compensated.

They came to a shuddering stop and Mikey leaned back against his seat and took a deep breath. His gaze locked onto the Battle Shell ahead of them as it suddenly slowed and turned to come back. His heart still beating fast he shot a glance at Jazz to make certain she was alright.

She was alright, but furious. If he hadn't been seated he would have backed away. She may be his best friend but when something went wrong with the Crusader she could be scarier then Raph. He jumped as she slammed a hand down on the console infront of her.

"Faulty link in the steering column. It snapped under too much pressure. We are going to have to be careful about our parts and we are going to have to run tests on the whole vehicle when we get home. Ill call New Boundaries to send the Semi to pick us up."

Mikey sighed and leaned back in his seat closing his eyes. They had a lot of work to do before the Crusader would be ready for the next race.

_(Two weeks later)_

The letter floated to the desk infront of Mikey. _"Lose the race or your brothers lives are forfeit." _He sat down in the chair kinda hard, but didn't even notice. This was the third letter, all claiming that something would happen to his brothers if he entered or won the race. Not that many people even knew about his brothers. He had been very willing to back out of the race. Had insisted on it even. But John, Reese and New Boundaries believed that the only way to find who was doing all this was by going in and drawing the guy or guys out into the open. He just wished he could talk his brothers into not entering the race. Yeah... like that was going to happen.

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><p><em>AN again: Sorry for the delay in this chapter. I have this other story steaming around in my head and its kinda doing battle with Crusader at the moment. This other story is not one i want to write, yet im beginning to think it wont leave me alone til i do. _


	6. Keep your enemies closer

_**Disclaimer: TMNT still not mine. And no money being made off of this fic.**_

_Thank you my reviewers, you were the inspiration for this chapter. Made me get it on track once again._

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 6: Keep your enemies closer.<strong>_

Mikey crept along the shadows silently. Tomorrow was race day, he should be sleeping. But he had to do this. Course if Jazz or his brothers found out he was dead. A door opened nearby and he froze, melting further back into the darkness. Soon silence reigned again and he continued on, navigating the corridors by memory.

Fear washed over him and he fought the urge to simply turn and run. He saw these halls in his nightmares. The glimpses of the rooms he passed brought unwanted memories back and he shoved them aside.

As he neared his destination his steps became slower, his hands tightened on the grips of his chucks, and his shoulders tensed. Taking a deep breath he entered the room silently, yet he knew the figure ahead of him was aware of him.

"Michelangelo, I did not expect to see you here ever again." The tall figure turned to face the mutant, a sinister smile on his face.

"Bishop." Mikey walked slowly forward to stand before the man. "I want this to end. Now."

"I suppose you are referring to the threats made against you and your brothers." Bishops face revealed nothing.

Mikey actually growled. "You know very well thats what I'm referring to. You have been a danger to my brothers for years, Its going to end."

"I am not the danger to you or your family this time."

"I'm supposed to believe you?"

Bishop moved over to a table nearby that held equipment, most of it Mikey didn't recognize. "I know you are smart enough to recognize the truth when you hear it, Michelangelo."

Mikey hesitated. It was true. In all the time Bishop had been their enemy, he had never resorted to idle threats. He acted. "If not you, then who?"

"That I am not certain of. It has to be someone close to you though. Not many people know about your brothers."

He stared at the man. Not trusting him, but believing he wasn't the one sending the threats. An icy cold settled around him and he realized that he had no idea who it was. How could he defend against an unknown enemy? He backed slowly, numbly towards the exit.

"Michelangelo, I can help you wi-" Bishop broke off with a sigh as the agitated turtle backed towards the door and then turned and vanished from the room.

Mikey walked down the path leading past the line of Armored Vehicles. His gaze brushed over them, not really paying attention to the details. His mind had been going a mile a minute since he had snuck back into the Crusaders warehouse last night. He hadn't slept, and that was going to come back to haunt him. But what Bishop had said had stuck in his mind. _It has to be someone close to you. _He just couldn't believe that any of his friends could do something like this. It didn't make sense. And yet it was the only answer.

Up ahead the Battle Shell came into view, and right behind it, the Crusader. He pulled his mind away from the track it had been on since last night and smiled at the sight of the two vehicles. A team of inspectors crawled over the Battle Shell, and a group of people were gathered behind the safety rails, marveling at the Crusaders new paint job. He had to admit that he had been quite shocked to come out to the garage early this morning to see a glossy black armored vehicle sitting there. Its gold logo shining brightly against the dark paint. While glossy wasn't a common paint choice in the AVRA, he had to admit it was gorgeous. When he had questioned Jazz about it though she had simply said she was tired of scrubbing the dirt off the vehicle and this way it could be just washed off easily.

"Mikey" Upon reaching the Crusader he was stopped by the sound of his co-partners voice.

"Hey Reese" Mikey frowned slightly, watching as Reese moved next to the Crusader and patted its fender. He had never known Reese to come to the line up. And Reese wasn't one for sentimentality.

"She all ready to go?"

"Yeah all systems checks are complete. Everything is in top condition. Has New Boundaries figured out anything yet? And the track inspection?"

His friend shook his head. "New Boundaries called earlier to report in. There hasn't been any new leads. And the track is clear. The inspection team will run a final sweep just before the race begins." Reese patted the Crusaders fender once again and moved away. "I have to go see to a few last minute things. Good luck. Mikey"

"Thanks" Mike watched as his friend moved away, then turned towards the Battle Shell. He smiled, watching as the inspectors left, leaving an irritable Don behind.

He chuckled. Dons face was almost identical to how Jazzs got during inspections. "Whats the matter. Don?"

His brother shook his helmeted head. "I just hate inspections. They get into _everything. _And the Inspectors are rather rude, always asking this and that, then not listening to the answers."

"Its just safety checks, Don. But I can understand. Jazz usually feels the same way you do after an inspection." As he said this, Jazz left the Crusader, slamming the side door shut behind her. Scowling, she stalked over to where they stood.

"I swear Mikey, if you don't do something about them, I will." Jazz practically hissed the words.

He sighed. "Alright ill go talk to them, why don't you and Don go over our plan for the race?" She nodded and moved with Don towards the Battle Shell. Mikey smiled slightly and went to deal with the inspectors.

Two hours later found them at the starting line. Mikey glanced over to the right and quickly saw the Battle Shell towering over several other vehicles in line. Smiling he turned his gaze back to his instrument panel and listened as Jazz completed the pre-race procedures. They had been lucky, Crusader had pulled the 6th slot and the Battle Shell had pulled the 8th slot in the lineup. Front row starting positions were always best, specially for the Crusader.

Mikey shifted uncomfortably, feeling someone watching him intently. Glancing out the window and up at the Founders box, his gaze met that of Reese Banders. He froze and his eyes widened. A cold shiver settled over him as Reese slowly grinned, a look of complete hatred on his face. Staring in shock at Reese, He didn't hear the announcer order the vehicles started, didn't hear Jazz calling his name, didn't even feel her shake his shoulder.

There was a movement in the room behind Reese and Mikey saw Bishop enter the room. He had known it. Bishop did have a part in it! Vehicles all around him suddenly began moving forward, and he still didn't even notice. He didn't hear the horn of the vehicle behind him, didn't see it pull around the Crusader and pick up speed.

His full attention was still glued to the Founders box. Where Bishop was stalking forward, grabbing Reese by the arm and pushing him towards a group of people that entered the room. People he recognized as AVRA Security.

"Mikey!" Jazz shook his arm hard and yelled his name.

He jerked around to face her, horror still engraved into his face. In the background he could barely hear the announcer stating that if the Crusader didn't get moving soon it would be disqualified. "R-Reese..."

He stuttered a little, still having trouble coming to terms with the fact that it had been one of his best friends.

"Its under control, Mikey. Security has him, if we don't get moving we wont be in the race. And we need to be, just in case he had something planned out there."

Mikey glanced around noting for the first time that all the other vehicles were gone. Groaning softly, he started the Crusader and slammed his foot to the floor. The huge behemoths wheels spinning before catching and propelling her forward.

They crossed the plains, going faster then they would normally have at this point in the race, but they had to catch up. Two miles into the race and they could see the pack of vehicles in front of them. Jazz began rattling off statistics of the nearby racers.

One of the trailing racers suddenly launched a salvo of rockets at them and Mikey attempted to avoid them. His eyes widened as he yanked on the Crusaders steering wheel and nothing happened. The vehicle didn't turn, the steering wheel didn't even budge. Gripping the wheel he tried to turn it with all his strength. And it suddenly turned, but not in the direction he had been trying to turn it in.

The wheel snapped in the opposite direction and Mikey cried out as a pain slammed through his wrist. He let go of the steering wheel and watched as it turned on its own.

Beside him Jazz stiffened and whispered "Oh my god."

As she pulled her hands from her board there was a whoosh throughout the vehicle as several rockets suddenly launched. He watched numbly as the rockets hit the small Terran Song, the explosion lifting the little armored car up and tossing it down in a cloud of dust and smoke.

"Jazz..."

Her hands had returned to the controls and moved at break neck speed over them. "I know, I know. But I can't get control back. Someones controlling the Crusader by remote."


	7. Down to the Wire

Disclaimer: yeah another one... Nope don't own nor make money off of the TMNT

_Notes: This chapter was Beta'd by Mystic Medjai. Thank you for all your awesome suggestions and help. _

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 7: Down to the Wire<strong>_

Mikey gripped the wheel and tried turning it again with the same results as earlier. "Jazz..."

There was no response and he glanced over to see his navigator using her sai to pry the compartment below her monitors open. She began pulling out wires and cutting them, then splicing them together again. There didn't seem to be much of a result as he could feel more missiles preparing to launch.

"Can we call anyone?"

"No. There's nothing wrong with the communications, but we don't have any control over it." Jazz snipped a few more wires, cross circuited them and replaced the cover on the compartment. A moment later she rebooted her monitor and groaned as it still refused to respond.

"Any way to tell who is controlling us and how?" Mikey was beginning to feel slightly useless sitting behind a wheel that turned itself.

Jazz nodded and brought up an image of the Crusader on her monitor. The image showed the vehicles left front fender. She ran a finger over the image, pointing to a spot that Mikey remembered Reese touching earlier. "Here. From what the scans show, a bio-virus was injected into the armor. It spread and infected the core computer. It sends out a signal every few seconds and receives one in response. I've been trying to track where it's being sent to, and I think it may be the Tempest."

He sighed. "I should have known Reese was up to something."

"He was your friend, you couldn't have seen this happening."

"What will he gain by controlling us? There is obviously something to it other than losing the race!" Mikey slammed his fists against the steering wheel.

Jazz didn't respond and he glanced at her. She had dived back into attempting several other ways to gain access to the computer. He sighed, wishing he could ask his brothers for help. He sat upright. Don! Don could help them.

"Jazz!" He said it sharper than he had intended, but it had been to gain her attention. She glanced over at him for a second before returning to her work. "Is there any way to contact the Battle Shell?"

She swiveled he chair to face him. "Not through normal communications. And I didn't bring my cell because of the race rules. What about that shell cell Don was going to give you?"

"He didn't have time to finish it. There were several things he wan-" Mikey stopped in mid-word and jumped out of his seat. Jazz watched curiously as he leaned over the consoles lining the side of the vehicle and reached into a small compartment.

Mikey pulled an old shell cell out of the compartment and held it gingerly. The shell cell had been in the Crusader since it had been built. Sort of like a good luck charm.

_(On board the Battle Shell)_

Raph growled a little as he dodged yet another attack from the Tempest. Next to him, Leo quickly hit several buttons in order to launch a counter attack. The Tempest had been isolating its attacks on them since the opening of the race, forcing them to focus on not getting blown up. It was more than obvious the vehicle was playing for keeps.

"Don! Any news on the Crusader?" Leo tossed over his shoulder while trying to come up with a solution to remove the Tempest from their path.

Don frowned at his computers. "It doesn't make much sense. The Crusader had a very late start, but has managed to catch up with the back of the pack. They have, however, removed several of the smaller racers with some rather extreme measures."

Raph swerved the Battle Shell in a desperate attempt to get past the Tempest."Extreme measures? Just what kind of extreme measures are we talking about?"

"The kind that include using six or seven missiles and rockets to take out a level 1 car when two would have sufficed."

Leo hit several switches on his board, hesitated, then hit them again. "They aren't responding to communications. Raph, see if you can get us closer to them."

Raphael gritted his teeth and slowed the Battle Shell down, his eyes widening as the Tempest suddenly veered off. "Now where do they think they're going?"

Leos eyes were glued to his screens. "They're going after the Land Shark."

"So is the Crusader."

Leo jerked around in his chair to face Don. "_What_? Why in the world is the Crusader attacking the Land Shark?"

"I don't know, but the AVRA has just listed both the Tempest and the Crusader as rogues." Don frowned and bent over his console, tapping away furiously.

"Rogues? Just what does that mean?" Raph had the Battle Shell a short distance away from the Crusader now, and the vehicle seemed to be completely ignoring them.

"It means that the Crusader and the Tempest are considered a danger to other racers, and that they have been removed from the race." Don started to say more, but his shell cell chose that moment to begin to ring.

Opening the shell cell, he frowned as it continued to make strange noises but didn't connect. Pushing a couple buttons he switched to an older frequency and suddenly Mikeys voice could be heard in the background.

"Jazz I don't think this is gonna work."

"Mikey? Whats going on? Why're you guys attacking the Land Shark?"

"Don? Donnie! Thank god we got a hold of you. The Crusaders being remote controlled. We have no access to any of the systems."

Both Leo and Raph glanced towards the Crusader with an almost identical frown on their faces. Leo turned back to his console and began to run several strategies through his computer. "Anyway we can help, Mikey?"

There was silence on the other side of the shell cell, and for a moment Don began to think they had been disconnected. Then he realized he could hear his brother discussing it with his navigator. During the silence he began trying to get access to the Crusaders computer systems.

"Leo?" Mikeys voice, when it came, was soft yet serious and completely lacking any of the humor you would normally expect to hear.

"Yeah, Mike?" Leo already knew he wasn't going to like his brothers next words.

"We can't get control back. I need you to promise that you will do everything possible to stop the Crusader. I won't be responsible for people dieing. Specially not our friends."

Leo glanced at his brothers. Raph was already shaking his head and Don looked slightly sick. "Mikey... We just got you back, You can't expect us to just attack you."

"People have already been hurt! I don't want there to be more. Jazz and I have both agreed, the only way to end this is for you to stop the Crusader."

Leo sighed and glanced out the window towards the Land Shark. It was already taking a pounding. Missiles from both the Tempest and the Crusader slammed into the vehicle and the road surrounding it. The level 5 vehicle was currently withstanding the assault but there was no telling how much longer it could continue to do so.

He glanced over at Don and his brother shook his head, dropping his hands away from the consoles. There was no way for him to gain access to the computers of the Crusader from here. He turned his gaze to Raph and caught the look of grim acceptance.

"Alright Mike, we will do our best. You keep trying to figure a way out of there."

Leo turned off the shell cell and stared out the window at the Crusader. How could he justify an attack against his little brother? He knew his brothers were waiting for him to give the word to attack him. And he knew, knew with everything deep inside him, that there was no way he could do that. They had just found Mikey again. They weren't about to lose him now.

His gaze moved from the Crusader to the Tempest and inspiration struck. It wasn't the Crusader they needed to stop. It was the Tempest!

His eyes narrowed with purpose and he turned to his brothers to issue the order only to realize they already knew. Raph was grinning and steering the Battle Shell onto a course that would cross paths with the Tempest. And Don was already bent over his computers, contacting the AVRA, informing them of what had happened and what was going to happen. Leo grinned and turned to his own consoles to bring up weapons and strategies.

_(Back with the Crusader)_

Mikey sighed and glanced back to where Jazz was desperately taking the main dash apart again. He waited until she motioned for him to come closer, then fell to his knees beside her. Reaching in he began to help move wires and other electronics. Even though time was of the utmost urgency, he couldn't keep his eyes from snagging the monitor above them.

The screen was black, but lit up with red numbers. And they were quickly counting down.


	8. Out with a Bang

_Disclaimer: Don't own the Ninja Turtles, Wouldn't be so mean to them if i did._

_Notes: Thankies to my Beta Reader, Mystic Medjai, without whom i would have been lost many times. And thankies to my reviwers, you guys are great. :)_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 8: Out with a Bang.<strong>_

[5:45]

[5:44]

[5:43]

Mikey forced himself to tear his eyes from the monitor displaying the vehicles countdown to self destruction. He hadn't told his brothers of this new development. It was just one more thing they couldn't change. And there was no point in worrying them.

He held the wires Jazz pushed towards him, listening as she muttered technical terms into the headset she wore. He knew she was talking with Don and trying to gain access to the vehicles computer system. He also had a very bad feeling that it wasn't going to make a difference.

That feeling solidified when Jazz sat back and whispered softly into the headset before removing it. "Thanks Don, but it's no use. There's no way to gain access to the computer. Even if we could evict the virus, most of the main computer would end up fried"

Jazz avoided his eyes while handing him the shell cell. He sighed and held the phone for a couple minutes. Three years ago he didn't have much of a chance to say goodbye. And he didn't have much time today either. So he thought quickly and sadly opened the shell cell. The phone's display glowed brightly for a moment before fading and then shutting off. His eyes widened and he pushed the power button. Nothing happened. He groaned silently and shut it. It was actually a wonder the batteries had lasted as long as they had. He had no idea when it was that it had last been charged.

[4:49]

[4:48]

[4:47]

Raphael was working on pushing the Tempest away from the Land Shark and was succeeding by little amounts. Leo was completely focused on his boards, waiting for the right moment to launch an attack. Behind them, Donnie kept up a running commentary on things going on around them.

"EPF and New Boundaries have scrambled several helicopters to assist us, and should be arriving shortly. April and Casey have also gotten our helicopter in the air and are on the way. The AVRA has canceled the race and have ordered all other vehicles off the track."

Leo glanced out the window as the Crusader suddenly stopped firing at the Land Shark and began to draw back some. "Don. What's up with the Crusader? She's pulling back."

Donatello pushed several buttons, training his scanners on the Crusader. He smiled as he turned back to Leo. "She's all out of ammo. Even her lasers have burned up all the power they had."

"Then that means they should be releasing the remote control now, right?"

"It wouldn't matter if they did. The Crusader's systems are so fried from the virus that they won't be able to regain control of her."

"Save the chatter for later. The Tempest is making a run for it." Raph shoved his foot to the floor, sending the Battle Shell after the level 4 vehicle.

"Raph get us up alongside them. Not too close though," Leo instructed.

Leo waited while his brother maneuvered the Battle Shell into position, his fingers hovering over the buttons that would launch several missiles. Several blips showed up on his screen, moving towards them rapidly. Zeroing in on them, he quickly identified them as two EPF helicopters and one New Boundaries med-evac helicopter.

As the Battle Shell slid gracefully into position from Raph's coaxing, Leo launched three digger missiles. They hit the ground a couple yards in front of the Tempest and dug a deep ditch in front of the fast moving vehicle.

The large vehicle slid sideways, trying to avoid the ditch, but the positioning had been perfect and the Tempest slid slightly sideways into the hole. Coming to a sudden and violent halt that nearly tipped the vehicle over. The gravity-sway bar barely keeping the vehicle from crashing onto its side.

Raph pulled the Battle Shell into a sharp turn, coming back to stop near the Tempest. He was out of the vehicle before either of his brothers could try to stop him. Raph stalked around to the Tempest and threw open its side door. He pulled Clarke out and slammed him up against the side of the vehicle. He had raised a fist and aimed at the cowering man when a voice behind him stopped him.

"Leave him Raphael, we will take it from here. Besides, I think your brother may still need help. The Crusader is still moving, and they don't seem to be able to get out."

Raph whirled to see Bishop standing behind him. With a growl he thrust Clarke at him and he and his brothers ran back to the Battle Shell. Seconds later they were headed back towards the Crusader.

Don scanned the Crusader from top to bottom. The vehicle was still moving, though it seemed to be coasting more than anything, and of course most of its systems were fried. That didn't bother him though, they could stop the vehicle with the Battle Shell easy enough. It was the strange build up of power in the main computer that concerned him. The power didn't seem to be going anywhere. Just increasing.

Leo stared out the front windshield. The Land Shark had come to a halt. Several people were still standing around it, but they were mostly crew performing emergency repairs. All the rest were making their way towards the Tempest. He shifted his gaze towards the Crusader and an unsettling feeling of unease bubbled up. He looked over at his brother and felt the Battle Shell pick up speed.

They had traveled a fair distance in chasing the Tempest, and had only covered half the ground back. Leo turned back to stare at the sight unfolding before him, panic rising as he realized that whatever was coming, they wouldn't be there in time. The panic increased as the hazard lights on the Crusader flashed on a couple times then went out. Leo watched as John Alexander, standing beside his vehicle, suddenly turned to stare at the almost graceful approach of the Crusader.

John's entire body stiffened, then he was moving, running, shouting orders out at his crew to get away from the vehicles. The crew hesitated, then John snapped again. Yelling louder than they had ever heard him before. People scattered in just about every direction. John himself ran a ways and dived behind an outcrop of rock.

The Crusader glided almost regally towards the Land Shark. Like a queen taking her throne. Her speed increasing slightly from the downhill grade. Dust kicked up behind her, billowing out in a small cloud. She came to a halt with a small thump. Her front bumper against the Land Sharks side.

Silence reigned and people began to laugh at themselves. All that panic for nothing. The laughter died as the Crusader gave a sudden shake and a high powered whine. A second later she exploded.


	9. Hatred

_**A/N: **__Yeah I still don't own the turtles, Battle Shell or anything else._

_Crusader is officially the longest story I've written on here. 17K+ words. Actually it's probably the longest story I've ever written. And a great big thank you to my beta reader, Mystic Medjai._

_Warning: Mikey says a couple of words that aren't that bad, but they are cuss words. But then, they're about to be blown up. Who could blame him?_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 9: Hatred<strong>_

_(A couple minutes before)_

Mikey felt like he was slowly going crazy. The Crusader's systems were sort of free now. Sort of. The main computer still had the virus embedded deep inside and as a result only a complete shutdown and restart of all the systems would give them even a semblance of control. But that took time. Time they didn't have.

To make matters worse, Jazz wasn't addressing the most urgent problem at the moment. She was focusing on some of the more minor systems of all things. The monitor above their heads had begun to flash, now counting down in double digits.

"Jazz! Dammit! Forget that and get to work on the Self Destruct Program." Mikey frantically began to push any and all buttons, levers, and switches he could reach. The hazard lights flashed on and he watched as John, who was standing between them and the Land Shark, slowly turn to face them.

Mikey pushed the button again, trying to signal that they needed help. The lights flashed again and then a series of sparks erupted from the board, forcing Mikey to yank his hand back.

Jazz finally responded, her voice harsh as she turned from her boards. Her gaze desperately searching for a way out. "You don't get it, Mikey. The self destruct system builds up power towards an explosion. Once it hits a certain point there is no turning it off."

**[0:35]**

**[0:34]**

**[0:33]**

"Remind me to kill the person that designed a self destruct sequence in the first place!" Mikey growled.

"That would be me."

"Why the hell would you design one?"

"Because of the promise we made. That we would never allow Bishop to get a hold of either of us again. It seemed like a logical decision at the time."

"If it was so logical, then why in the world didn't you design a cancel button to go with it!"

Jazz opened her mouth to make a snide remark and paused. Snapping her mouth shut she leaped out of her chair and pulled out her katana. She poked the floor behind the driver's and navigator's seats a couple times before finding what she was looking for.

Mikey watched as she began to slice the carpet from the floor. The desperation he had felt earlier was now gone, and he was left with a mind numbing pain. Tears welled up in his eyes and he tore his gaze from what Jazz was doing to stare out the window to where the Battle Shell was barreling towards them.

He hated that he couldn't even say goodbye to them. Hated that he had wasted so much time by running away that night. Hated that he was stuck in this death wagon. His eyes narrowed and he transferred the hatred from himself to the Crusader.

If it hadn't been for the Crusader, even before it was built, he wouldn't be in this position now. He wouldn't be faced with losing everything he held dear. If it wasn't for the Crusader he wouldn't be about to watch his best friend die.

Anger washed over him and he began to strike out at any part of the Crusader he could reach. Beating his fists into the consoles, cracking the monitors, and bruising his knuckles till they were about to bleed. Tears ran freely down his face behind the mask.

Jazz briefly glanced up at the distraught turtle. She wanted nothing more than to go and comfort him, but she couldn't. She had to get the hatch open. Quickly. If she didn't it wouldn't matter anymore. Tossing the katana aside, she pulled her out her sai and tried to wedge it under the side of the hatch. It hadn't been opened since the vehicle had been built, and little dents and debris had more or less fused it shut. She felt a sudden movement and her sai slid under the edge. Grinning triumphantly she quickly opened the hatch.

Mikey's anger evaporated as quickly as it had arrived and he collapsed into his chair. He stared around at the vehicle he had come to love. He and Jazz had put everything into designing her, and as much as he might have wanted, there was just no way he could hate the Crusader. For long anyway.

He glanced up at the monitor that was still counting down. Less than twenty seconds now. He sighed, then jumped when Jazz's hand tightened around his wrist and yanked him forward.

"Time to go, Mike." She pulled him towards the hole in the floor of the vehicle and he would have hesitated at the site of the ground moving under vehicle if she hadn't pushed him. He fell, and out of instinct he tucked and rolled as the vehicle passed over him. He came to a sudden halt, gasping for breath as his body seemed to throb with pain. He almost yelped as he felt Jazz roll up against him.

It was quiet for a moment, then a harsh explosion sounded nearby and he threw himself over Jazz to shield her from most of the flying debris. A large piece of metal came flying towards him, and this time he did yelp loudly as the metal banged hard against his shell. Darkness began to crowd his vision and he blinked, his gaze falling on the burning remains of the Crusader. He smiled. It wasn't the end of the Crusader. For like a phoenix from the ashes, The Crusader would rise again. His smile widened as the darkness swept in to claim him.

As the fire seemed to die down a little, John Anderson stood up and moved forward. A second, smaller, explosion had him dropping to the ground as more metal went flying. He stiffened as he heard a pain filled yelp. Lifting up, he searched the area for wounded and spotted a large piece of metal from the Land Shark laying at an odd angle some 20 yards behind where the two vehicles were burning.

Waving at the New Boundaries Med-evac helicopter hovering nearby, he caught their attention and pointed to the ground where the metal lay. As the helicopter began to land he ran over. Pulling back the piece of metal he was shocked to see Mikey and Jazz laying there. Mikey groaned and curled up into a ball.

John started forward, wanting to see if his friend was alright when he was shoved roughly back. Several of the paramedics from the helicopter moved in like a small army and had the driver and his navigator on the med-evac before he could say a word.

Getting angry, John pushed his way forward. "How are they?"

One of the paramedics glanced up. "Shadowmoon is in pretty bad shape, she took a hit to the back. Most likely from the undercarriage of the Crusader. Rodenco doesn't look that bad but we won't know more until we are in the air and are able to remove his racing suit."

John nodded and stepped back. "Keep me informed on their status."

The helicopter lifted off and he turned back to wreckage just in time to see Mikey's brothers stop the Battle Shell nearby. Moving quickly, he headed over to meet them.

_(In the Battle Shell)_

The explosion died away, leaving three stunned brothers staring in disbelief. The Battle Shell rolled on, unchecked, for a couple of minutes.

"No..." Don whispered softly.

"Mikey!" Raph's sudden outburst jerked Leo out of his shock. Before he could reach for his brother however, the red banded turtle had launched himself out of the vehicle as it finally came to a stop.

"Raph!"

The turtle ignored him, or didn't even hear his leader's hoarse shout.

John intercepted Raph before the turtle could do something stupid, like throwing himself into the burning wreckage. Grabbing him, John pulled him away in case something else decided to explode.

Raphael fought him. Slamming his fists into the human hard, cursing with each breath he took. John took the punishment for a moment before pushing Raph back and trying to shake the turtle into listening to him. It didn't work and only caused Raph to attack more viciously.

John was beginning to tire, but was saved from having to fight back by a pair of gloved hands suddenly reaching forward and pulling Raph away. Leo wrapped his arms around the shaking turtle and Raph instantly gave up his fight, turning to bury his head against his brother's shoulder.

Catching his breath, he watched as the three brothers folded around each other. Even though they all wore helmets he could see the tears in each of their eyes.

Tearing his gaze away, he made a quick call, requesting the turtles med-evac helicopter land nearby. Once done he turned back to them, hoping like hell they were ready to listen. He really wasn't up to defending himself against three ninjas.

"Leonardo."

He watched as the eldest stiffened and turned slightly to face him. He winced, not really having meant to say the name so harshly.

"Your brother is _not_ dead. He and Jazz both managed to get out of the vehicle before it exploded. They've been taken to the New Boundaries private medical center."

Raph tensed and whirled around on him. "Why the hell didn't you say that sooner!"

John rubbed his chin ruefully. "You didn't exactly give me a chance to say anything."

Leo stepped forward. "I want to see Mikey."

As if on cue, the turtles own Shell Coptor came in and landed nearby. Casey Jones leapt out and ran over to them. John toward him, yelling so the man could hear him over the helicopter's rotors.

"Mr. Jones, please take care of the Battle Shell. I am going to take them to see their brother."

Casey nodded and moved towards the vehicle, clapping Raph reassuringly on the shoulder as he passed.

A few minutes later they were in the air and on their way. John leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. After today the AVRA would be in trouble. And he wasn't sure how they were going to save it. Race protestors would jump at the chance to claim that it was too dangerous of a sport. He sighed heavily. Maybe they were right.

Hearing a noise he opened his eyes and glanced around the helicopter's interior. The three brothers were still close to each other, but now no longer holding onto each other. A strange emotion bubbled up inside and he found himself getting envious. He had no siblings to worry about.

The flight was a fairly short one, but it was still several hours before they were allowed to see their brother. John was eventually forced to leave, being the only founder still on his feet, the AVRA needed him. Giving the hospital his cell number, he left reluctantly to take care of business.

Raphael paced the room. It was a medium sized room, painted off-white and filled with various pieces of medical equipment. The room housed two beds, his brother occupied one of them, still unconscious from whatever the doctors had given him while they checked out his injuries. They hadn't been severe. Thank God. Mikey had some bad bruises but that was it.

He stopped to glance back at the bed for the hundredth time. And smiled slightly. Leo sat beside the bed, reading some magazine, while Don couldn't seem to make up his mind. The now helmetless turtle wandered back and forth between the bed.

Raph let his gaze slide down to the other occupied bed in the room, and his smiled vanished. Jazz had been injured quite a bit worse than his brother. It had been determined that the undercarriage of the Crusader had hit the woman in the back as they had escaped. As a result she had severe scrapes across her back as well as some heavy bruising. The woman would not be on her feet for some time.

Raph stopped pacing for a moment and studied her. They didn't know her that well, but it was obvious that his brother trusted her. And while they didn't exactly trust her the way he did yet, they respected her. A small noise caught his attention, and he was beside his brother's bedside in a flash.

Michelangelo gasped as he swam up through the darkness. Memories of the attack and the explosion that followed ran through his mind in rapid fire images. A second later his eyes snapped open and he sat up with a jerk. A low moan escaped as several hands tried to push him back down. He fought them for a moment before realizing they belonged to his brothers.

"Jazz?" He gasped, panic setting in that she wasn't here.

"Take it easy, Mikey, she's all right." Leo pressed down gently on Mikeys shoulder as he once again tried to sit up. "She's on the bed over there." He nodded in her direction. "She's bruised and has some nasty scrapes on her back, but she'll be just fine."

Mikey relaxed back against the bed. His whole body hurt, but it seemed to be getting a little better the more he woke up. With the worry gone, he finally took in his surroundings. Recognizing the sterile walls of the New Boundaries Private Hospital, he grimaced. It was a great place, but he hated being here. It was always so boring. Letting his gaze continue on he paused as it passed over each of his brothers faces. All three had almost identical looks of relief and anger.

"What?" Mikey shifted uncomfortably, sighing as he recognized the looks his brothers were giving him. He hated lectures.

"Do you have any idea what you put us through out there, Mikey?" Leo asked sternly.

"It's not like I planned it!" Indignant, Mikey pulled himself up a little straighter on the bed.

"You didn't even warn us that the Crusader was going to self destruct." Don's voice was quiet as he stepped closer and rested a hand on his brother's shoulder.

Mikey gritted his teeth, anger and hurt washing over him. He wanted to lash out at them, scream that there hadn't been anything he could do. Instead, all of the anger, pain and hopelessness he had felt during those last few seconds hit him hard. He gave a strangled cry before breaking down completely.

His brothers shot startled looks at each other before turning when another voice spoke up, soft and barely above a whisper.

"He tried. The Shell Cell he was using was old and hadn't been charged in years. It was amazing it lasted as long as it did." Jazz's eyes flashed at them angrily from her bed. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to face the end of your life and not be able to reach out to those you love? Besides, I doubt you could have done anything anyway."

Raphael's scowl hardened, but for an entirely different reason. Here they were, getting angry at Mike for almost dying and they were angry because he hadn't old them everything when they should be comforting him. Heck, if Raph had been in his place, he probably wouldn't want to tell his brothers he was about to die either.

'Hey bros, just wanted to say goodbye. We're about to die in an explosion. Love you all.' Yeah, that would've been nice.

Pushing past his brothers, he sat down on the edge of the bed. Coaxing Mikey into his arms he held him tightly, rocking him gently until he calmed down.

Leo and Don were quick to join them, crowding onto what little space was left on the bed, both of them whispering their apologies and that they were relieved he was okay.

Jazz watched the brotherly moment, a small smile on her face as Mikey stopped crying and leaned into his brothers hugs, hiccupping slightly. There were probably still some issues to deal with in reestablishing their relationships with each other, but it was obvious they were on the mend.

Leaning back against her pillow, she allowed sleep to overcome her tired body, a slight smile still on her lips.


End file.
